Review: The Darkness by Ragnar Jónasson tr. Victoria Cribb

The Darkness by Ragnar Jónasson translated by Victoria Cribb, March 2018, 336 pages, Michael Joseph, ISBN: 0718187245

Reviewed by Michelle Peckham.
(Read more of Michelle's reviews for Euro Crime here.)

Detective Inspector Hulda Hermannsdottir is a short time away from retirement. One of the few women on the detective team, she feels she has worked hard, and is one of the best detectives, dedicating her life to the force. And yet she feels isolated and undervalued. Not looking forward to her retirement, suddenly she is called into her bosses' office to be told that she can leave now, taking her last couple of months as 'leave', and at the very least she has to leave within two weeks, as a new young hotshot male detective is arriving and needs her office.

All her cases have been re-assigned and there is nothing left for her to do. In shock, Hulda asks for something to occupy her time for a few more days until she has to leave, and is allowed to choose a cold case. She chooses a case of a Russian girl, a 27 year-old called Elena, found dead on some rocks near the beach a few miles away. Her death has been dismissed as probably an accident or suicide. She was a girl no-one really seemed to care about. A mere asylum seeker. Moreover, the investigation into her death was handled by one of her colleagues, Alexander, someone she thinks does sloppy work. A last chance perhaps to show her skills as a good detective, before her inevitable lonely retirement.

As the investigation unfolds, two different stories are told side-by-side. One is the story of a single mother and her attempts to bring up her young daughter, someone we quickly realise is Hulda. This works well to provide some lovely background insight into Hulda's character. The other story, which starts later on in the book, relates to Elena and her disappearance. There is also Hulda’s burgeoning relationship with Petur, a friend from the walking club. Both Hulda and Petur lost their partners some time ago, and Peter is clearly interested in developing his relationship with Hulda, and in finding out more about her.

Hulda's character, the way in which she responds to her shock at her enforced early retirement and the subsequent choices she makes, drive this story. She could just relax, spend time with her friend Petur and simply stop and start to enjoy her retirement. Or, she could carry on with her one last case: a decision that will have a critical consequence for Hulda. This is a fascinating story, touched with an underlying sadness that skilfully unveils Hulda’s life as she carries out her last investigation.

Michelle Peckham, March 2018

Review: The Whitstable Pearl by Julie Wassmer

The Whitstable Pearl by Julie Wassmer, October 2015, 320 pages, Constable, ISBN: 1472118995

Reviewed by Michelle Peckham.
(Read more of Michelle's reviews for Euro Crime here.)

As might be expected from the title, this book is set in the seaside town of Whitstable, famous for its oysters, and for the rather strange constructions just visible out at sea, called the Maunsell Forts. These were built during the Second World War, and used to provide anti-aircraft fire. The heroine of the novel is Pearl Nolan. She runs a popular seafood restaurant in Whitstable, 'The Whitstable Pearl', with her somewhat eccentric mother, Dolly, but she would rather be a detective. Still only thirty-nine-years-old, she has a grown-up son Charlie at university a short distance away, and is now trying to start up her own private detective agency.

The book revolves around Pearl’s first proper case. A Mr Stroud contacts her and asks her to track down a local oyster fisherman called Vinnie Rowe. Stroud apparently lent Vinnie some money to help him lay down some new oyster beds, and is now looking for a return on his investment. But Vinnie is nowhere to be found. Pearl agrees to help, and in this case it should be easy, as Vinnie is an old friend. When he doesn't respond to her call either, she decides to go out and see if he is on his boat ‘The Native’ which she can see out at sea. And that’s when she finds his dead body, tied to the anchor rope in the water.

The police start to investigate, and it is DCI Mike McGuire from Canterbury who is in charge. Recently transferred from London, for his own personal and rather tragic reasons, he is starting to regret it. But the murder sparks his interest, as does Pearl herself. And then, when Mr Stroud also goes missing and is then found dead - once again, Pearl finds the body - Pearl finds herself in the middle of a mystery. One she is keen to solve herself.

THE WHISTABLE PEARL is a strange mixture of a book, which almost seems to be a murder mystery set in the middle of a tourist brochure for Whitstable. Alongside Pearl, her family and DCI McGuire’s search for the murderer, lie abundant descriptions of Whitstable, the people and the culture, with a bit of oyster politics thrown in for good measure. Pearl is a thwarted police detective and keen to help McGuire help solve his case, with her helpful local knowledge and personal connection an asset. And McGuire develops into an inevitable love interest. Having had a glorious holiday in Seasalter myself, and enjoyed the Whitstable oysters, I appreciated the setting. Pearl is a likeable if somewhat clichéd character, and the story is well paced, with some twists and turns along the way. I suppose I would have liked a bit less of the tourist brochure though, and a bit more character development. At one point Pearl tells McGuire ‘Clues to a crime are like ingredients for a meal, don’t you think? Put them together in the right way, and the result can be very satisfying’. An apt comment! I wouldn’t give this book a Michelin star, but it was a satisfying outing.

Michelle Peckham, February 2018

Review: Bad Blood by Brian McGilloway

Bad Blood by Brian McGilloway, May 2017, 336 pages, Corsair, ISBN: 1472151305

Reviewed by Michelle Peckham.
(Read more of Michelle's reviews for Euro Crime here.)

A complex mixture of homophobia and racism in the Greenaway Estate, somewhere in Northern Ireland, provides the story for this fourth book from McGilloway, featuring DS Lucy Black. The book starts with a sermon from Pastor Nixon railing against homosexuality, and suggesting that homosexuals should be stoned, and is swiftly followed by the discovery of a body of a man, with his head bashed in by a rock, who turns out to have been homosexual. Alongside this, DS Black and her partner Tom Fleming, are called to the house of the Lupei family, Romanian immigrants, who have had the sign ‘Romans out’ painted on the side of the house. While they are there, Mrs Lupei gives them a leaflet that is being handed out on the Greenway Estate, which refers to Brexit, the chance to get rid of immigrants, and the statement ‘local housing for local people’. Clearly this is a family under threat, and Lucy is worried about potential escalation. Sprinkled into the mix are ‘legal highs’, drugs being sold by someone, with the claim that someone in the Lupei family is involved in selling drugs, strongly denied by Mr and Mrs Lupei. And of course, in the background is the ever-present history of Northern Ireland and the ‘troubles’.

It’s an interesting complex story, characterised by the reluctance of almost everyone involved refusing to talk, or give any information out that might help the police, which makes life difficult for Lucy and Tom, and this reluctance leads to further violence. There are the usual few blind alleys and then an eventual resolution that brings all the threads together, without too many surprises.

The backstory, is that Lucy’s mother is a senior police office, who left her with her father when she was just 8 years old, but as Lucy’s mother uses her maiden name, very few people actually know that the two are related, and Lucy wants to keep it that way. She blames her mother for the family breakup, and remains fiercely loyal to her father, who is now in a care home, suffering from dementia. Lucy is living in her father’s house, and has a lodger called Grace, a street girl that she offered a home to, at the end of the previous book, and is finally coming to terms with her father’s disease. Gradually throughout this story, there is also a softening in relations between Lucy and her mother, which is interesting to watch. However, apart from this, there is almost no other personal backstory of any kind, in contrast to earlier books in the series, and I found this a little disappointing.

The main focus of the book is then directly on Lucy and Tom and their efforts to uncover who is behind the killing of the (initially) unidentified man, and those behind the targeted attacks on the Lupei family. Without giving too much away, there is somewhat of a mixed message about ‘Brexit’, immigrants, and possible links to drugs, which I found somewhat uncomfortable. However, Lucy is strong in her support of the Lupei family, making efforts to help them get rehoused away from the Greenway Estate, where they will be safe. There are sympathetic noises towards the homosexual issue, where it seems particularly difficult for members of the ‘macho’ male community, to openly admit that they are gay, and Lucy determinedly challenges Pastor Nixon on his homophobia. Lucy is a strong, likeable, detective and Tom works well as a sensible, level headed foil to her more headstrong approach. Overall, the book has strong lead characters, a complex story with some surprises, and an interesting mix of prejudices that drive the plot.

Michelle Peckham, May 2017

Favourite Discoveries of 2016 (5)

Here is Michelle Peckham's favourite crime discovery of 2016:

Michelle's Favourite Discoveries of 2016

Fortunately, while in the US in the summer, I was able to access many TV productions of books by my favourite Scandi authors, including those based on Liza Marklund's Annika Bengtzon series. I watched all the episodes, and they were excellent. Unfortunately, they don’t seem to be available in the UK, but hopefully will be at some point.

I also discovered the two films of the first two Jussi Adler-Olsen Department Q series (The Keeper of Lost Causes, and The Absent One). Both were excellent, and highly recommended.

Favourite Euro Crime Reads of 2016 - Michelle

Here are Michelle's favourite British/European/translated reads of 2016:

Michelle Peckham's favourite reads of 2016

A Deadly Thaw by Sarah Ward
A great second outing, with DC Connie Childs making an interesting detective.

The Crow Girl by Eric Axl Sund tr. Neil Smith
An intriguing and complex plot. Detective Superintendent Jeanette Kihlberg is a strong female lead.

The Maria Kallio Series, books 1-4, by Leena Lehtolainen tr. Owen Witesman
A new author to me, I’ve been reading the first four books in the series. The lead investigator, Maria always seems to be investigating murders that involve her friends, and she makes for another strong female character.

The Treatment (Jack Caffery #2) by Mo Hayder
Having read most of the Caffery series, somehow I’d missed this one, which nicely filled in some background to the later books. Well written and plotted.

The Hanging Girl (Department Q6) Jussi Adler-Olsen tr. William Frost
I could read these books over and over. The strange cast of detectives in the basement, following up on old cases is fascinating. The book is well plotted, and completely absorbing.

Review: The Girl With No Past by Kathryn Croft

The Girl With No Past by Kathryn Croft, October 2015, 300 pages, Paperback, Bookouture, ISBN: 1910751243

Reviewed by Michelle Peckham.
(Read more of Michelle's reviews for Euro Crime here.)

Leah lives sparely, in a small flat and works in the local library. She volunteers in a care home once a week, but still has too much time to fill. So, she has started talking to someone on a dating website called Julian. She clearly is trying to forget a traumatic event in her past, something perhaps she is ashamed of. Possibly something that may be to do with the short description of a car accident in the first chapter. Something nothing her work colleagues know about. And then she receives a ‘Happy Anniversary’ card. Someone somewhere knows who she is and what she’s done. Her past is catching up with her.

Slowly as the book progresses, her carefully constructed life starts to disintegrate. As well as the card, she starts to receive disturbing emails from someone called ‘reapwhatyousow’. Her colleagues at work start to mistrust her and become less friendly, but she can’t work out why. She starts to mistrust Julian, the man she met via the dating website. Could he be behind this? And it seems she only has one friend left, Ben, who appears to believe her story. Interspersed chapters go back to her teenage years, shortly after her family had moved to Derby and she started at a new school. We gradually find out who she makes new friends with, including her best friend Imogen, Corey, and Adam, a troubled lad who intensely dislikes their teacher, Miss Hollis.

This book has all the elements of a good page turner, with a slow build up of tension, a main character is someone to whom the reader is sympathetic. But there is enough doubt laid that at the same time we wonder what she really did and if she really does deserve some kind of punishment for something that happened in the past. Leah certainly seems to carry a heavy guilt about something. The slow destruction of a safe and reasonable life is believable, and there is a tense climax at the end, where she finally finds out who is behind the disintegration of her carefully constructed life. I enjoyed this book and look forward to the next one!

Michelle Peckham, November 2016

Review: Smoke and Mirrors by Elly Griffiths

Smoke and Mirrors by Elly Griffiths, November 2015, 352 pages, Hardback, Quercus, ISBN: 1784290262

Reviewed by Michelle Peckham.
(Read more of Michelle's reviews for Euro Crime here.)

This is the second book from Elly Griffiths that is set in Brighton, post-Second World War, featuring detective Edgar Stephens. There is a new person on the CID team, a woman called Sergeant Emma Holmes, the subject of a lot of teasing, although Edgar takes a good professional attitude, and knows not to ask Emma to ‘put the kettle on’. The case facing the team at the start is the disappearance of two children; Mark, aged twelve and Anne, aged thirteen. They had been out playing after school, but had failed to come home when it became dark. And then, the children are found dead a few days later, discovered by a dog walker, with a trail of sweets leading to the bodies.

Edgar’s old friend Max Mephisto is also in town, playing in the pantomime 'Aladdin' as Abanazar, the Demon King, a job forced on him due to lack of work. Magicians are losing out to comedians such as Tommy Cooper, and the new development of television.

It turns out that Annie was a budding playwright, and had not only been writing plays, but had organised the other local children into an acting troupe, so that they could perform the plays in the garage of ‘uncle’ Brian. The garage itself had been set out as a mini theatre with red curtains above a small stage at one end. Brian is sure that the children hadn’t just run away, as they’d been looking forward to going to see 'Aladdin' the following week. But even more strangely, Annie’s latest play had been entitled ‘the Stolen Children’. Is there a connection? Or can the children’s death be somehow related to another similar children’s play ‘Hansel and Gretel’ or ‘Babes in the Wood’?

The usual slow but careful investigation follows, with Edgar and Emma both following up on different possible leads, to try to find out why the children went missing and who took them. Is there a link to the theatre and even to the theatrical production that Mephisto is starring in? The introduction of Emma onto the investigating team is a nice touch, and Edgar seems to have an incredibly modern attitude to women, choosing to use her skills and intelligence, rather than giving her more menial tasks to do. A gentle, entertaining story, that makes good use of the backdrops of Brighton and the theatre.

Michelle Peckham, April 2016

Review: Two Bronze Pennies by Chris Nickson

Two Bronze Pennies by Chris Nickson, January 2016, 224 pages, Severn House Publishers Ltd, ISBN: 1847516084

Reviewed by Michelle Peckham.
(Read more of Michelle's reviews for Euro Crime here.)

As with many of Chris Nickson’s books, this one is set in Leeds. It’s the most recent outing in the author's newer series featuring Detective Tom Harper, and is set in 1890. Tom is recently married to Annabelle, who is the landlady of the Victoria Pub, and manages a couple of local bakeries. It’s December, Christmas Eve, and cold, when Harper is called out to the Jewish quarter of the city: the Leylands. The body of a young man, stabbed, with two bronze pennies covering his eyes, is laid out in the street. The young man, only seventeen-years-old, is quickly identified as the rabbi’s nephew, Abraham Levy. Is the murder something to do with the local hatred of the Jews? Was the perpetrator someone involved with a shady group, who meet in pubs and plan violence? Are they working on their own, or is someone organizing their actions?

As well as investigating the murder, Harper has something else to keep him busy, the imminent arrival of a French detective, Bertrand Muyrère who’s coming to try to find out what happened to someone called Louis Le Prince, the inventor of moving pictures. The Frenchman who married a girl from Leeds, invented his camera and disappeared during a visit to France, somewhere between Dijon and Paris. Harper has been asked to help Bertrand interview the family and help him with his investigations.

An interesting mix of stories, and backstories ensues. Sergeant Reed goes undercover to find out more about the group of thugs that might be involved, putting his own life in danger. There is a wealth of interesting detail about the life of the Jews in Leeds, and the various prejudices. The Jews themselves feel threatened, don’t trust the police and have their own vigilante group, the Golem, which tries to protect them from harm. More murders ensue, but slowly and surely Harper discovers the perpetrators. A good mix of characters, and some nice historical detail make this an enjoyable read.

Michelle Peckham, February 2016

Review: The Wrong Girl by Laura Wilson

The Wrong Girl by Laura Wilson, February 2016, 384 pages, Quercus, ISBN: 1782063129

Reviewed by Michelle Peckham.
(Read more of Michelle's reviews for Euro Crime here.)

Suzie’s daughter Molly is a ten-year-old girl, who thinks she has been stolen, and that her real parents are the ones looking for their child, a girl called Phoebe who was kidnapped some time ago and never found. Suzie herself was given up for adoption forty-four years ago by her mother, Janice.

Six months ago, Suzie decided to get in contact with her real mother, but the letter was opened by Janice’s brother Dan. One thing led to another, and Suzie went to live with Dan at the Old Rectory in Norfolk. But now Dan, only sixty-six years old has died suddenly, and Suzie has to call Janice to introduce herself for the first time, and to give her the bad news about her brother.

Why would a sixty-six-year-old man apparently die in his sleep: a natural death, or not? How will Janice cope with meeting her daughter for the first time, and her grand daughter Molly? And what is Joe Vincent, the band member that Janice used to hang out with back in the late 60s doing living just down the road from the Rectory?

It’s the start of a long complex unravelling story with a theme of missing young girls. It reaches deep into the past, uncovering the story of the men in the band that Janice used to hang out with back in the 60s. Part of the story telling is driven forward by Molly, who finally decides to ‘escape’ and find her real parents. As Janice and Suzie try to find her, Janice starts to uncover some unexpected links to her own family past, secrets and lies, the truth untold, as she is lifted out of her comfortable existence, and also has to find out how all of this is linked into what happened to Dan.

THE WRONG GIRL is an interesting and well told story, with Janice a rather unlikely heroine, driven forward by circumstances towards a dramatic denouement.

Michelle Peckham, February 2016

Favourite Euro Crime Reads of 2015 - Michelle

In today's instalment of the Euro Crime reviewers' favourite reads of 2015, it's Michelle Peckham's favourites:

Michelle Peckham's favourite reads of 2015

1. Ausma Zehanat Khan - The Unquiet Dead

2. Belinda Bauer - The Shut Eye

3. Jussi Adler-Olsen - The Marco Effect/Buried tr. Martin Aitken

4. Denise Mina - Blood Salt Water

5. Anya Lipska - A Devil Under the Skin

Favourite Discoveries of 2015 (7)

Michelle Peckham picks a ground-breaking British tv series as her Favourite Discovery of 2015.

Michelle Peckham's Favourite Discovery of 2015

Prime Suspect: all 7 series (which were reshown on the TV this year, but were also available to download on special offer).

I don’t think I ever watched all of these, and was particularly interested in the first couple of series.

Helen Mirren makes for an excellent detective in these police procedurals, a strong woman in a man’s world, giving perhaps too much to the job, with her private life suffering as a consequence. She is dedicated, committed, and a clever manipulator.

Excellent watching!

Review: The Lie by Hesh Kestin

The Lie by Hesh Kestin, October 2014, 256 pages, Scribe Publications, ISBN: 192224774X

Reviewed by Michelle Peckham.
(Read more of Michelle's reviews for Euro Crime here.)

The book begins with a short prologue, describing an event forty-five years ago in which two women, one Jewish and one Arabian in hospital, have both just given birth to a child; the Arabian to a girl, her seventh, and the Jewish woman to a boy. This sets the scene for the big ‘lie’ that follows on later in the book, but the whole story is about lies and subterfuge. First, Edward Al-Masri, a professor at McGill University and famous author, is about to travel back to Israel, where he was born and lived as an Arab in Israel for many years. He is taking with him a suitcase packed with money in a hidden compartment. This is deliberate act, with inevitable consequences when this is discovered on his arrival. Second, Dahlia Barr, forty-four-years-old and a well-known human rights lawyer is summoned to see the head of Israeli security, Zarman Arrad. He wants her to work for him, to assess suspects and decide when stronger means of interrogation might be allowable. She is married (but about to be divorced) with two sons, one of whom, Ari, is currently doing his national service in the paratroops. And then disaster strikes. Terrorists kidnap Ari on the border of Israel and Lebanon, and hold him hostage. Somehow there are connections between Edward and Dahlia, which feed into the developing story, and Edward becomes key to the release of Ari.

THE LIE is an enjoyable short book, which has real insight into the issues of Arabs and Jews in Israel and surrounding countries, their behaviour towards each other, and the inevitable consequences of their actions. The first part of the book was particularly strong, with characters well described and a real feel for the local culture. The latter part of the book was slightly less believable, as the real consequences of the big lie start to unfold. But overall I liked this book a great deal and recommend it.

Michelle Peckham, December 2015

Review: Oblivion by Arnaldur Indridason tr. Victoria Cribb

Oblivion by Arnaldur Indridason translated by Victoria Cribb, July 2015, 352 pages, Harvill Secker, ISBN: 1846559790

Reviewed by Michelle Peckham.
(Read more of Michelle's reviews for Euro Crime here.)

A woman, swimming in a lagoon for her psoriasis, stumbles across a body, starting off a new investigation for Erlendur and his boss Marion Briem. The pathologist confirms although the body seemed, on a first look, to have been severely beaten, in fact the pattern of broken bones suggested that he must have fallen from a great height probably onto a smooth hard surface. But where, and how?
The man was about thirty, no real identifying features, and no one seems to have reported him missing. His clothes all seem to have come from the USA – cowboy boots, jeans, and so on. Bought on a visit? Is he a genuine American? Or, is there some connection with the American military zone on Midnesheidi, where around five or six thousand Americans, including their families, live. A reference to the controversial military base, which was sited in Iceland between 1951 and 2005, after the government made a deal with the Americans concerning Military protection.

After about three days, the man’s sister eventually realizes that the body could be that of her brother’s and then she identifies him. Finally, the investigation can start properly, or can it? The problem is that Kristvin, the murdered man, was an air mechanic, who has some sort of connection with the naval air base at Keflavík. The Icelandair premises where he worked are located inside the military zone. In fact, shortly after he is identified, his car is discovered on the base, with its tyres slashed. Simple enough to perhaps think that he may have met his death there, but the police have no jurisdiction in the military zone, which is controlled by the US Navy. Complicated negotiations with the Americans are needed to allow the Icelandic police to follow up their investigations actually on the naval air base itself.

Meanwhile, Erlendur is pursuing his own investigation in the background, into the disappearance of an eighteen-year-old girl, Dagbjört, as she walked to school past the old barracks where Camp Knox used to be in the Second World War. An old investigation, where many who were around at the time are either dead, or old. And a disappearance that prey’s on Erlendur’s mind, as a man obsessed with the disappeared, many of whom have never been found.

A common theme on the uneasy relationship between the US military and the native Icelanders, clearly highly controversial at the time, wends its way throughout these two main threads of the story. Erlendur is still a junior detective as these latter novels from Indriḋason have returned to the earlier days in this detective’s career. However, he still displays the same knack of uncovering secrets, and seeing beyond the lies and half-truths that people choose to tell him, to get to the truth. And he doggedly obtains small parts of the jigsaw from different people, to piece together the secrets of (in this case) Kristvin’s life and how he met his death. Mixed in is an interesting relationship between Erlendur and Sergeant Caroline Murphy from the US military police, initially mistrustful, but then developing into something more complex as the two investigators decide to work together. Although I sometimes miss the more morose older version of Erlendur, I enjoy these books with the younger Erlendur, and this latest outing, with its insightful reflections on the US-Icelandic relationship is highly recommended.

Michelle Peckham, November 2015

Review: The Ghost Fields by Elly Griffiths

The Ghost Fields by Elly Griffiths, October 2015, 400 pages, Quercus, ISBN: 1848663331

Reviewed by Michelle Peckham.
(Read more of Michelle's reviews for Euro Crime here.)

The abandoned airfields in Norfolk are apparently known as ‘the Ghost Fields’ and these provide the backdrop to the latest outing from Elly Griffiths. As the book begins, Ruth Galloway, archaeologist and sometime consultant to the local police force, is on a ‘dig’ with a large group of students, on the hunt for Roman remains, while being irritated by her boss Phil. Several fields away, a body is discovered inside an old Second World War plane, buried in a field that is part of Devil’s Hollow, which is being prepared for a new housing development. And so, at the start of this, the seventh book in the series, Ruth is called in by DCI Harry Nelson to give her opinion. Immediately, she spots a couple of curious things, such as the fact that the soil has only recently been disturbed and the preservation of the body isn’t consistent with the chalky soil, and then she discovers the bullet hole in the corpse’s forehead, and it’s clear this is not just the body of a pilot trapped in his plane after a crash that has gone undiscovered, but a murder. But, who put the body there, and why? And, who is the murdered man?

A slow investigation ensues, as the first task is to identify the body, who turns out to be someone called Frederick J. Blackstock, of the posh family Blackstocks. A family who once seemed to own much in the local area, and still live in Blackstock Hall, but are clearly down on their luck. However, Frederick had supposedly emigrated to America in the thirties, and while he had been known to be a pilot in the war, the family had been told that his plane went down in the sea, with no survivors. He was one of three brothers. Lewis (the oldest) had survived the war, but disappeared during the 1950s, and as Frederick had already died, the third brother George (the youngest) inherited the Hall. So, how could the body of a man who had apparently died in the war, suddenly turn up in the cockpit of a plane with a bullet hole in his head? And, as this is clearly an old murder, where has his body been all these years?

The find is exciting enough to attract the media, and in particular an old acquaintance of Ruth’s, a TV presenter with whom she appeared on a TV show before (Women who Kill), and with whom she has a sort of relationship (Frank Barker). This leads to further complications in Ruth’s private life, as she has a young daughter who was fathered by Nelson, but they do not live together or even have a romantic relationship, as Nelson does not want to leave his wife Michelle. Cue romantic agonizing by Ruth as she tries to decide if Frank is still interested in her or not, and even if he was, what would she do anyway. Meanwhile, even Nelson’s private life is becoming somewhat complicated, as Michelle seems to be up to something behind his unsuspecting back.

The investigation into Frederick’s death is not a major priority although Nelson does gradually push ahead with it. While Nelson wishes he was investigating a standard current day murder, Ruth loves to engage with the layers of history beneath their feet. Eventually, it’s down to Ruth’s insatiable curiosity that a few clues start to be uncovered that begin to lead to the final denouement. Some interesting history about the Second World War, and the American airbases in Norfolk are weaved into the plot. But in the end, it is all going to boil down to old family secrets waiting to be discovered. A gentle, meandering plot with a tense ending, and enjoyable as always.

Michelle Peckham, October 2015

Review: Without a Trace by Liza Marklund tr. Neil Smith

Without a Trace by Liza Marklund translated by Neil Smith, June 2015, 352 pages, Corgi, ISBN: 0552170968

Reviewed by Michelle Peckham.
(Read more of Michelle's reviews for Euro Crime here.)

This tenth book in the series that features the journalist Annika Bengtzon, focuses around the mystery behind the disappearances of two women. One is Nora, the wife of the ex-politician Ingemar Lerberg, who has just gone missing. The other is Viola Söderland, who went missing twenty years ago.

At the start of the book, Nora’s husband Ingemar, is being tortured rather horrifically and the perpetrators clearly want to know where Nora is. His almost lifeless body is found and reported anonymously, and Annika is sent to cover the story. Viola’s disappearance was covered by Annika’s boss: Anders Schyman, in a TV documentary for which he was given an award for Excellence in Journalism. Although the consensus was that Viola had been murdered, Anders found evidence that the billionairess, faced with some kind of financial crisis, had planned her disappearance very carefully. But on searching the web for information about Ingemar, a man whom Schyman knew and sometimes socialized with, he comes across a website calling itself the ‘Light of Truth’ where the author has started to call into question Schyman’s story about Viola, and appears to have started a personal attack on Schyman himself. These two threads form the main part of the story.

Meanwhile, there is the usual family background as part of the story. Annika is now living on Södermalm, a very cool and trendy part of Stockholm, with Jimmy Halenius (with whom she got together in the last book, while her ex-husband Thomas was kept hostage in Africa), her two kids, and his two. Thomas, also appears from time to time, and true to form, is feeling very sorry for himself after their break up, as well as very self conscious about the hand he lost while captive, which is now simply replaced with a hook. And there is the re-appearance of Nina, assigned to National Crime, and working with Annika’s long term inside contact ‘Q’. Nina and Annika also know each other from the past (as detailed in an earlier book). Nina is in charge of finding out who tortured Ingemar, and what has happened to Nora, and it’s she who starts to uncover Nora’s secret life, as we start to find out something about Viola’s through Annika.

There are also the interesting reflections on how journalism has changed, with there no longer being the print deadline, but with Annika videoing herself in front of the crime scene, editing some footage, and uploading the video as well as text on line, as soon as she is ready. But is Annika a little battle-weary? At one point she comments on how she could write several of the articles on line, without even leaving the office and going to see anyone, as the same types of stories resurface again and again. Annika also has an intern to look after, Valter Wennegren, son of the man who owns the paper, who turns out to be very useful. The ‘Light of Truth’ also highlights the ability of anyone to write anything they like online, and how destructive this can be especially when what appears to be a hot story, is taken up by other online media and goes into the mainstream. It’s interesting to see how Schyman, himself a veteran journalist, deals with the character assassination and how doubts raised about him and his integrity raised by an anonymous blogger start to take on a life of their own, as myths are circulated as truths.

WITHOUT A TRACE is a book with lots of bits and pieces, that just about hangs together as a whole. There is much musing on journalism, Annika’s role in it, her slightly jaded approach to it all, and yet still her engagement with it, and love of her job. The pressures of her new family and various uncertainties there also play an important part in the book, while the stories of Nora and Viola are almost plot devices to compare journalism then, and now. That is, one is rather less concerned as to what has happened to these two women, than how the stories are (or were) presented. I always enjoy Marklund’s books, and this is no exception, and while it didn’t have the taut drama of some of the previous books, it was a thought-provoking read.

Michelle Peckham, October 2015

Review: Little Black Lies by Sharon Bolton

Little Black Lies by Sharon Bolton, July 2015, 368 pages, Bantam Press, ISBN: 059306920X

Reviewed by Michelle Peckham.
(Read more of Michelle's reviews for Euro Crime here.)

Catrin Coffin, works for Falkland Conservation, lives on the Falkland Islands, and as the book opens, she is out at sea, diving off her boat, collecting sea urchin samples, when she sees an elephant seal killing a young fur seal in seconds. She admires the quickness of the kill, and the ruthlessness. Could she kill something as easily?

When she returns, as she pulls into her usual mooring at the harbour, someone is waiting for her. A three-year old child called Archie has gone missing, and the police want to know if she has seen any unknown vessels out at sea. Is this new disappearance linked to those of two children of about the same age who went missing previously? Fred, about two years ago, and then Jimmy about six months later. Has this third missing boy been taken by the same person? Search parties are organised, and Catrin is asked to lead one of the teams in the search to find him.

Catrin has two boys of her own that are no longer there, Ned and Kit. She is clearly still raw with grief, and her thoughts about killing someone relate somehow to how they died. And have something to do with someone called Rachel, the woman who used to be Catrin’s best friend, until she somehow killed Rachel’s sons three years ago. She left them alone in a car, which went over a cliff and they were killed instantly. But why would she do this? Ben, a medic, and now her ex-husband, had rung her to tell her the news. Was he somehow responsible too?

As the story progresses, slowly the truth emerges about Catrin and how her sons died. Her reasons for her hatred for Rachel start to become apparent, and how now she is slowly starting to plot her own revenge, driven by her desperate grief. However, as she is drawn into the search for the third missing boy, she becomes distracted, we sense that this search will turn into a something more, something that will somehow link back to her own life in some way, and lead to some kind of resolution.

The first inkling of this starts with what she and Callum Murray discover on an old ship just out to sea; the Endeavour, which is close to where the boy went missing. Callum is an ‘incomer’, a Scotsman who fought in the Argentine conflict, and then bought a cottage close to Stanley after leaving his regiment, shortly after the conflict ended. Involved in the search, he thinks the boy might be hidden on the Endeavour, as it’s close by but out of everyone’s way, and persuades Catrin to go and look with him.

LITTLE BLACK LIES is an intriguing book, which weaves in the backdrop of the Falklands Islands very effectively. There is a strong sense of the isolation, the rawness of nature, and the small close-knit community which all play into the story. Catrin is a strong, determined character, well embedded into the local community and yet at the same time she also feels very isolated. Various tales of Catrin’s life, her experience with her father with a whale out at sea, and the desperate plight of the beached whales on the Falklands, and how she has to deal with that, ring true. Her grief at the loss of her children and her happy family life as a result are played out slowly. The secrets that people kept from her, and the clues that she didn’t pick up on as events first unfolded, gradually become apparent, as she slowly pieces together the truth behind the death of her children, and the mystery of the missing boys. An excellent read, that I very much enjoyed.

Michelle Peckham, September 2015

Review: The Cellar by Minette Walters

The Cellar by Minette Walters, May 2015, 256 pages, Hammer, ISBN: 0099594641

Reviewed by Michelle Peckham.
(Read more of Michelle's reviews for Euro Crime here.)

Muna is a young fourteen-year-old girl living in Mr and Mrs Songoli’s house. She is somehow ‘adopted’, not allowed to leave the house, illiterate, and thought not to speak English, but only Hausa. Mrs Songoli (Yetunde) describes her to the police as her brain damaged first born, who finds it hard to learn.

The police are in the Songolis’ house, because their youngest son, ten-year-old Abiola, has failed to come home from school. Strangely, when Abiola went missing, but before the police arrived, Yetunde discretely moved Muna’s mattress out of the cellar, and moved her into a room with a proper bed and a window.

Muna, too frightened to speak, listens to Mr and Mrs Songoli telling the police lie after lie about their missing son and their life together, while Muna’s thoughts tell the reader what has really been happening, uncovering the lies, and revealing all that she wishes she could say. She would really like to tell the police that she needs their help, because she was stolen when she was just eight years old, and she just wants to go home, but she doesn’t know who her parents are or where she is really from. But somehow, she cannot say a word.

The investigations continue, and the external influences of the police presence start to give Muna a strange sort of courage and boldness. Despite intensive searching, Abioloa is not found, and eventually the police leave. But the change in Muna’s behaviour continues, and this heralds the start of the decline and fall of the remaining Songolis: Yetunde, her husband Ebuka and their thirteen-year-old son Olubayo. All of which is somehow helped by the evil influence of the devil in the cellar.

The story mostly unfolds from Muna’s thoughts and observations on life in the Songoli household. The reader gradually discovers the appalling treatment meted out to her over the years, and the stark contrast between her demeaning treatment and life of fear and deprivation, with the extravagant, amoral lifestyle of the Songolis. The devil in the cellar is laughing and wants revenge. Muna responds by taking action. A short intriguing story, clearly commenting on the upsurge in ‘slavery’ that often makes the news, with a few genuine surprises along the way. Recommended.

Michelle Peckham, September 2015

Review: Blood Salt Water by Denise Mina

Blood Salt Water by Denise Mina, July 2015, 304 pages, Orion, ISBN: 1409140741

Reviewed by Michelle Peckham.
(Read more of Michelle's reviews for Euro Crime here.)

Iain and Tommy take an unidentified woman out to some sand dunes, near Loch Lomond and murder her. As she dies, Iain sucks in her dying breath, as she seems to say the name ‘Sheila’, the name of his mother. He feels that he has sucked in her soul and it is now trapped inside him. Driving back after dumping her body in the Loch, he cannot shake the feeling that she is inside him. He looks at his hands, which have traces of watery blood, and remembers that his mother once told him that only salt water lifts blood. But they’d dumped the body in a fresh water loch. The effects on his psyche of committing his first ever murder, influence his behaviour throughout the book.

Alex Morrow, a detective based in Glasgow, is involved in a surveillance case, following someone called Roxanna. She is somehow involved in possible drug related activities/money laundering. But Roxanna disappears and the police don’t know where she has gone. One of her kids rings in anonymously to alert the police, and after confirming that it was one of the kids (through CCTV), this allows them to follow up her disappearance officially. But no one seems to know where she’s gone.

Boyd Fraser runs an organic, local farmer’s market café in Helensburgh. A woman called Susan Grierson turns up. Long years ago, Susan was Boyd’s Akela in the Scouts, and his first ever sailing instructor. She has been living in the USA for the last twenty years, and is just back following her mother’s death, to sort out her house.

These three strands set the scene for the story to unfold; the criminal suffering from a conscience, the unhappy and bored café owner, and Morrow’s drugs investigation. Sooner or later, all three storylines link up and as usual, Denise Mina cleverly weaves the three strands together. There is an insightful look into police politics and how they influence their investigation, the ‘dos and don'ts’, and the consequences of receiving rewards and attribution for catching criminals also wanted elsewhere. The real villain is right under everyone’s noses the whole time without anyone suspecting, and there is a satisfying conclusion to the story once the drama has played out. This is a full-fat story with plenty of plot, character development, insight and local colour. Beautifully written, lovely to read and highly recommended.

Michelle Peckham, August 2015

Review: Buried by Jussi Adler-Olsen tr. Martin Aitken

Buried by Jussi Adler-Olsen tr. Martin Aitken, February 2015, 592 pages, Penguin, ISBN: 1405909803

Reviewed by Michelle Peckham.
(Read more of Michelle's reviews for Euro Crime here.)

The long pre-amble to this book, builds up the background to the eventual crimes that Department Q is tasked with investigating. As part of a money laundering swindle, René Eriksen, a government official, is sending money to Africa, to help his friend Teis Snap, the head of Karrebæk Bank to prevent the bank from going under. Somehow, this is linked, at least in part with the local work of Louis Fon, who was working with the Baka pygmy tribe to protect their way of life in the Bantu region in Africa, but he is brutally murdered by Mbomo when he discovers that the money that should have been used to help them was actually being used to buy alcohol and drugs. As he lies dying, he manages to send a cryptic text from his mobile phone, which is received by William Stark, who works for René. William is sent out to investigate Fon’s disappearance, but while there, helped by Swedish man in a bar, he manages to decipher the text, which hints at the scandal. Stark immediately and unexpectedly returns to Denmark, but this was a dangerous move, and he hasn’t banked on the ruthlessness of Teis Snap, who engineers William’s disappearance.

Marco is a young, bright lad, who in a rather Dickensian way, works in a gang of children made up of pick-pocketers and beggars, which is controlled by his uncle Zola. He’s never been allowed to go to school, and the gang have travelled around Europe before ending up in Denmark, but he’s managed to teach himself quite a bit by reading books, and is one of the few in the gang that has managed to learn to speak Danish fairly well. Zola is a bully, and beats the children who don’t perform well on the streets. One night Marco overhears Zola planning to maim him, so that he can be an effective beggar and he decides to try to escape. And in doing so, he stumbles across Stark’s body.

Department Q, is made up of DI Carl Mørck, a Muslim sidekick called Assad, and they are supported by Rose, a strong, opinionated and difficult woman who nevertheless is extremely good at her job. Mørck is divorced from his wife Vigga, dating his psychologist Mona, and living in his house is Hardy, an ex-cop who is now a paraplegic, a lodger called Morten and his boyfriend Mika, and his difficult teenage son Jesper. Department Q is tasked with tackling unsolved cases, and eventually they almost stumble onto the case of the missing William Stark. Then, the plot follows the parallel stories of Marco, trying to keep hidden from Zola and his gang, as well as the police, with his knowledge of the fate of Stark that will eventually become important, alongside the investigations of Department Q.

The sarcasm, back-biting and apparent dysfunctionality of all three members of Department Q make for entertaining reading, though in reality they make a very good team, with complementary strengths that work well together to solve the crimes under investigation. And the desperate plight of Marco, and how he seems to have as many lives as a cat, as he escapes capture and harm, time and time again through his wits and intelligence, is well told and engaging. The Department Q stories are complex, well written, and never fail to disappoint, and this one is no exception. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and if you haven’t read these novels yet, it’s about time you did!

Michelle Peckham, August 2015

Review: The Zig Zag Girl by Elly Griffths

The Zig Zag Girl by Elly Griffiths, July 2015, 336 pages, Quercus, ISBN: 178429196X

Reviewed by Michelle Peckham.
(Read more of Michelle's reviews for Euro Crime here.)

In this first in a new series from Elly Griffiths, the setting is Brighton shortly after the war, and starts with the discovery of a murdered girl, cut up into three parts as it she had been in a magician’s trick cabinet and the trick had gone wrong. The detective investigating the case, DI Edgar Stephens, should know because he was once recruited to join a group of magicians in a special unit known as the Magic Men, during the war. The Magic Men were set the task of using their knowledge of trickery to try to deceive the enemy. While the unit didn’t last long, Edgar had made a few magician friends, and he knew he could contact one of them, Max, to find out his thoughts on the murdered girl. And fortunately, Max was working in a theatre not too far away.

The plot thickens when the murdered girl is finally identified, and it turns out that she had links with the magicians in the Magic Men. Slowly, more murders follow, each somehow linked to or involving other members of the group. Is the murderer specifically targeting former members of the group, and if so, why?

This is a gentle, entertaining read, with a lovely flavour of post-war Britain, the age of gentleman but with hints of the first few changes to come as old ways gradually fall away. Edgar is the perfect gentleman Detective Inspector, and Max Mephisto is a clever, sophisticated and good looking magician, still clinging to his life as a performing magician in the theatre, despite the signs that shows of this sort are slowly declining in popularity. And, there is the intriguing character of Ruby, who applies to be Max’s assistant, but really wants to be a magician. Who is she, what is her connection to events, and why does she apparently disappear into thin air. Slowly all is revealed in this wonderful mixture of magic, and detection rolled into one.

Michelle Peckham, July 2015